Leïla Martial has been shortlisted for the 22nd Les Victoires du Jazz awards in the Vocalist of the Year category. An artist of exceptional vocal ability and boundless creativity, Martial recorded the album Le Jardin des Délices with Valentin Ceccaldi for BMC Records, released in 2023. Her current nomination is another professional milestone after Martial and Ceccaldi were among the performers at Jazzahead! Bremen in April this year.

Founded in 2002, Les Victoires du Jazz is one of France's most prestigious music awards, celebrating excellence in jazz. The award is part of the Les Victoires de la Musique prizes, which reward outstanding artists and works in various musical genres, including pop, rock, classical and world music.

The nomination of Leïla Martial, who already triumphed at Les Victoires du Jazz in 2020, comes as no surprise to those familiar with her work. Her unique vocal style and bold musical approach have earned her critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base. Her ability to blend elements of traditional jazz singing with avant-garde influences creates a performance style that is both innovative and deeply rooted in the jazz tradition. Her nomination underlines her significant contribution to the genre.

On the BMC Records album Le Jardin des Délices, Leïla Martial and Valentin Ceccaldi create dialogue between musical idioms, regions, and the various chapters of music history. Martial’s multifaceted identity reveals itself in how only one of the six songs (Ève au jardin des délices, a nod to the famous painting by Hieronymus Bosch) was composed by the duo themselves. For three of other tracks they have arranged classical arias, for one a folk song from Réunion, and another derives from a French chanson singer, Barbara. With pre-existing building blocks, the duo construct a fresh musical world, which is at once weighty and airy, tender and strong, graceful and bold.

Leïla Martial is represented by Orotone